The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and, more particularly, to a refrigerator provided with a vegetable compartment, with its own door which can be opened or closed, and a vegetable storage basket which fits into the vegetable compartment.
Conventional refrigerators include a type wherein a vegetable compartment, with its own door which can be opened or closed, is located under a refrigeration chamber. Cooled air is supplied from the refrigeration chamber to the vegetable compartment. In the vegetable compartment, a vegetable storage basket is provided, which is automatically moved in or out of the vegetable compartment in association with the movement of the door of the vegetable compartment.
In this type of conventional refrigerator, the storage basket is open on top, so as to permit the cooled air from the refrigeration chamber to enter the storage basket. However, the cooled air from the refrigeration chamber flows directly against the vegetables in the storage basket and removes the inherent moisture of the vegetables. As a result, the vegetables are apt to dry out in a short period of time. To solve this problem, it may be thought to close the top of the storage basket, so as to prevent the cooled air from directly contacting the vegetables. However, if the storage basket is sealed in this way, the refrigerator will have another problem. Specifically, the interior of the storage basket is apt to be saturated with moisture, because of the moisture entering the storage basket when the door is opened as well as the moisture emitted from the vegetables. If saturation occurs, the moisture in the storage basket will condense into drops of water, due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the closed storage chamber. If the water drops collect in the bottom of the storage basket, the vegetables would be immersed in the water, and their condition would deteriorate in a short time.